6 Steps for Better Health Department Inspections

If a local health inspector walked through the door at this very moment,
would your kitchen pass the test?

For most commercial kitchen owners and operators, a health department inspection
may cause stress and anxiety, as it has the potential to damage both revenue
and reputation and can even determine the fate of a business. But it’s
important to remember that the sole purpose of these inspections is to
guarantee the health and safety of both customers and staff. It may be
tempting for commercial kitchen operators to delay repairs or ignore a
few minor health violations in the name of being “too busy,”
but a poor report can potentially lead to high repair costs and thousands
of dollars in lost sales.

Here are six do’s and don’ts that can help restaurant operators
achieve better health inspection scores.

First, the do’s: Although commercial kitchen regulations can vary by state, there are three
simple steps that can help to ensure every commercial kitchen is grade-A
ready for any health inspection:

Review previous inspection results.The last three health inspection reports that a facility has received are
excellent resources that will provide owners with an understanding of
the owner and staff take safety precautions and health violations seriously.

Perform surprise self-inspections weekly.By stepping into a health inspector’s shoes, a restaurant owner can
prevent potential inspection violations before they happen. The most effective
way to conduct weekly health inspections is by adhering to current health
regulations and reviewing inspection forms, typically found on the local
health department website. Similar to real health inspections, owners
should perform self-inspections at random, unannounced times so that all
staff members become accustomed to practicing proper food handling and
cleaning regulations all day, every day.

Educate employees on current food safety practices.Health inspectors are paying extra attention to food handling due to the
rise in food allergies and food-borne illness outbreaks. Regular staff
meetings will help keep employees informed of evolving food safety techniques,
including food-handling practices related to allergies, the spread of
bacteria and more.

Now, for the don’ts:When preparing for an inspection, it helps to be aware of common health
inspection violations and how to avoid them. Some of the most recurring
violations include:

Failure to properly store food.According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the temperature in a refrigerator
should be set to 40°F or below throughout the unit, so that any place
is safe for storage of any food. Raw meat, poultry and seafood should
be in a sealed container or wrapped securely to prevent raw juices from
contaminating other foods. Employees should also immediately label food
by name and delivery date as it arrives to avoid keeping food past its
expiration date. The “First In, First Out” method of inventory
can help to manage this process.

Failure to follow sanitation regulations.Approximately 26 percent of food-borne illnesses are caused by food handlers’
poor personal hygiene. Frequent hand-washing is the easiest way to prevent
these issues as it is important for employees to wash their hands whenever
a different food type is being handled, or at least every two hours. Commercial
kitchen owners should continually remind employees about the importance
of adequate hand-washing and emphasize how failing to follow this basic
requirement could result in major health violations.

Failure to maintain kitchen exhaust hood systems.The exhaust hoods in commercial kitchens are designed to collect as much
airborne grease as possible. Over time, all that grease becomes a major
fire hazard. While kitchen staff can regularly clean visible areas of
a kitchen hood themselves, a proper cleaning of a hood exhaust system
can be intricate and difficult. To ensure the kitchen hood is thoroughly
cleaned, including the exhaust duct(s) and roof exhaust fan(s), it is
recommended that a commercial kitchen owner hire a specialist who is professionally
trained and certified to clean kitchen exhaust systems, while adhering to the
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard.

With regular maintenance and routine cleaning, restaurants can dodge some
of the most common health violations. Though it’s difficult to predict
when a health inspector may be visiting your restaurant, following these
simple anticipatory steps is a proactive plan to achieve a passing grade
next time.